This was all to say, my real goal was just poaching the royal capital’s stalls, which still had so much I hadn’t yet tried. It wasn’t just Sheila either—Thand and Ville jumped on the idea.
“That sounds fine. Our house can arrange transportation and protection.”
“Good idea, father. I’ll assist with the latter.”
Oh my, Ville’s on board. That’ll be some very illustrious protection.
Though Ville could use magic, swords were his speciality. He was so good, he would sometimes intervene in fights between hunters, beating down both parties. I could never do something like that. If I had to resolve a dispute, I’d just put them to sleep. Long live the hypnosis beam.
During the festival, the attendees were allowed to use the student cafeteria. Thus the place was completely packed.
“Well, this is no good.”
With things like this, we weren’t going to be able to have lunch, and I was starving. Just as we were wondering what to do, Bear passed by us.
“Oh? Lord Aspozat. Hello to you and yours.”
“Ah, Bear.”
He gave the usual response.
“Why d’you keep calling me a bear?!”
Sheila and Thand were just smiling, not saying anything. Perhaps they knew Bear was a bear. Looking at us, then at the cafeteria, Bear figured out our predicament.
“Oh, the cafeteria’s full. Then why not come to the faculty cafeteria? Students can’t use it, and nobody goes there during the festival, so it should have plenty of room.”
For real?! You can really come in handy sometimes, Bear.
The faculty cafeteria was pretty large and very comfortable.
“It’s almost empty.”
“It’s not open to just anyone.”
“If we opened it to the visitors, this place would fill up in an instant, and then we’d have nowhere to eat.”
While the adults chatted, I looked around and saw some staff members I recognized. During the festival, everyone in the faculty was doing patrols around the campus. Thank goodness for them; that couldn’t have been an easy job. That’s all the more reason they needed a quiet place where they knew they could get a meal without having to wait. We were equally grateful to have a spot where we could have a bite.
On the menu was fish in white sauce with potatoes and leafy greens. Another delicious lunch. There was also soup, salad, and bread, with plenty to go around for everyone, leaving us stuffed.
We spent the afternoon enjoying the sights of the festival, including Colny’s horse riding. As always, the wasteless movements of her and her steed were beautiful.
Though the festivities weren’t yet over, our guests made an early departure.
“We’ve seen you two perform,” Sheila said, “and that’s all that matters to us.”
Yeah, that’s how most parents would feel deep down. Loks, by the way, wasn’t in any shows on account of being a prefect. He’d spent last year behind the scenes too.
With the academy festival over, normality returned. It was our usual schedule, yet it felt like something was missing. Maybe that was because the festival had been just too much fun. For all my complaints, the buildup for the event had been a joy.
During those peaceful days, I received a not-so-peaceful summons—Bear was waiting for me in the general magic prep room. After class, I did as instructed, running into yet another unexpected person—the mystic-jockeying instructor. He wore a stony expression uncharacteristic of him.
“Excuse me.”
“Hey there. Close the door and come over here.”
As I closed the door, I put up a sound-blocking barrier. Bear’s glance suggested he knew what I was doing, but he didn’t say anything. I took that as tacit approval.
“Now, the two of us have something to tell you. You probably know what it’s about.”
“The interference attempts at the academy festival?” The traps laid by Marquess Bilbroza to ruin the events. Specifically, to make me fail. There were also the attackers I had taken out beforehand. Now Bear had a follow-up report.
“Everyone who attacked you was a second son or lower, all from houses of knights. As a result their houses were willing to cut ties with them.”
“Huh.”
In other words, they had been disowned, meaning they would also be removed from the academy. Man, expulsion just for attacking a younger student. Those noble families didn’t play around.
“I get the feeling you think that’s too harsh, Lera.”
Ack. How’d he read me?
“Nobody got hurt, since it’s you they went at,” Bear said with a sigh, “but what do you think would have happened if it were any other girl?”
“Hm?”
“If things really went south, a girl could’ve been erased from polite society.”
So that was it. Nobles made a big deal about a girl’s virginity. Even if nothing was done, rumors hinting at the possibility could ruin a girl’s marriage prospects. Though depending on the size of the house, those rumors were sometimes stamped out in advance. The world of nobles was a whirlpool of conspiracies.
Either way, what they had done was serious enough that their punishment really wasn’t too heavy.
“By the way, you should know that they’re still asleep.”
“What? They should have woken up a long time ago by now... Hm?” Bear was grinning for some reason. That didn’t bode well. “Bear, did you do something?”
“Quit callin’ me that! All I did was give them a teensy bit more. That’s all.”
Really?
Bear, of all people, had hit them with an extra dose of the hypnosis beam. Well, he knew the spell, so there was nothing stopping him from using it. “They can’t cause as much trouble if they’re asleep,” he said.
“I can’t believe you. But won’t all that sleep be bad for them?”
“For what it’s worth, I left them with some guys who know how to use healing magic. We’re sending the bill to their houses.”
Ohh, healing magic is not cheap. What a way to get under someone’s skin.
Those parents probably hadn’t expected their sons’ stupid behavior to dig into their coffers too. I was starting to feel just a bit of sympathy for those houses when Bear continued.
“Also, about those magic tools installed in the mock duel arena. I recovered them all, and the headmaster was there to see it.”
“You did?”